Game apparatus



July .8, 1924. A f 1,500,983.

J H.l DEr-:N

GAME APPARATUS Filed Sept. '7e 1921 By L/ molen/frs v Patented July 8,i924.

JAMES n. BEEN, or Nnw YORK, N. Y.

' GAME APPARATUS. y

Application mea september To all whom t may concern: l

Be it known that I, JAMES IrI. DEEN, a citizen of the United States, andaV resident of the city of NewYork, borough of the ronx, in the countyof Bronx and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved` GameApparat-us, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to improvements in game apparatus, an object ofthe invention beingV to provide a game apparatus which is adapted forthe playing of a racing game. In other words, the game is intended tosimulate a racel and more particularly a foot race. Y

further kobject is to provide a game apparatus employing a field havingthe representationof a track thereon containing colored and numberspaces; over which game pieces representing runners, are moved inaccordance with the throw-of dice or countA ers, said dice or countershaving both colored and numbered faces thereon indicating 'the movementsof the game pieces.

To be more specific, the invention comprises a iield having therepresentation of a track thereon divided into spaces with certain ofsaid lspaces at the desired intervals colored, preferably threeldifferent colors being employed, as for example, red, blue and lemon(yellow), and in connection with the field, each player is provided withany number (preferably three) game pieces representing foot runners orathletes, andv the movement of ythe runners being controlled by counterswhich are in the 'form of ordinary dice, and which contain on three oftheir faces either colors corresponding to the colorsofthe track spaces,or with letters or other.4 indicia "indicating such colors with lthe'remaining `farces of said dice having numerals-or other characters'thereon y'indica-ting numbers, so lthat thenumbers and the `colors ofthe dice will indicate 'the .play or move of `the game pieces.' l

`Vi'thtliese and other objects in view lthe invention consists incertain novel features of construction, and 'combinations and ar-Yrangements*of parts as will b'e more fully hereinafter-'described andpointed out inthe claims. Y

In the accompanying drawings- Figure ll is aplan view illustrating myimproved field which may be on any type of board .orvsupportf 7, 1921.semi No. 499,030,

circular track 3 which is intersected at four equally spaced points byrelatively wide radial spaces 4, the latter preferably having enlargedinner ends 5 and containing the caption Finish` Y These spaces 4 arelemon colored and adjacent their outer ends are provided with divisionlines 6 dividing them each into two portions. The extreme outer portions`of Ithe spaces 4 are under the captions Home stretch. The circulartrack 3 between the Finish spaces 4 is divided by radial lines 'T intoanumber'o-f'spaces 8. `In the preferred construction, progressingcounterclockwise about the track from any one of the Finish spaces 4,the colored spaces are colored red and blu-e alternately between eachpair of Finish spaces, the space next each ofthe Finish spacesprogressing counter-clockwise being red. kThe colored spaces may bespaced apart any desired number of spaces.

In the corners of the field I preferably provide spaces I0 under Vthecaption Court and these Court spaces 10 have arrows Il pointing towardthe Start space 9 for the players of ea'ch particular Court.

In connection with my improved field I provide any desired number ofgame pieces l2. l'Ihese game pieces, as indicated in Figure 4,preferably represent foot runners or athletes, and 'it is my intentionto provide each player with three of these game pieces lf2, and thegaine ieces ofeach set will be differently colore or otherwisedistinguished, but it is, of course, tobegunderstood lthat the inventionis not limited to any particular number of such gamepieceg or the mannerof distinguishing them .fromf each other. n i

Inv Figure. 2 I illustrate myimproved counters i3, which are in the formof dice,

` a pair 'of such dice Vbeing preferablyprovthe sides of each dice beingnumbered respectively l, 2 and 3, or provided with other indicialindicating numerical value, while. the other three sides of the dice arecolored corresponding to the color spaces of the track 3; as, forexample,fone of these sides is colored lemon (yellow), another blue andanother red, as indicated clearly in Figure 2. y, y

In the modification illustrated in Figure 3, the game pieces i4 areprovided with letters L, B and R yindicating colors lemon, blue and red,and it is to Vbe understood Ythat other indicia may be provided toindicate colors if desired-f Villaile, of course, a great variety ofrules may be adopted for playinga game or games with my improvedapparatus, the following rules will indicate what Ibelieve to Abepreferred rules and will indica-te the manner of play or use of the gameapparatus.

At the beginning of play, the game pieces l2 are assembled in the Courtspaces l0 at the corners of the field. VThe first player then throws thedice 13 and in order to start he must throw a red Ycolor on atleast oneof the dice 13.V If, for example, he throws a Y red color and theYnumberf2 on the different dice,`he places his game piece or runner onthe second yspace progressingy counter-clockwise from his Start7 space.Continued throws of the dice advances the. runner and space 9 and theplayer throws a l and a red, he has the option of moving, his game pieceeither to the third space Yto the right of his Start space and then tothe next red space, or he can move to the first red space and then a lspace, which would be ordi- 'l narilyv to his'advantage. It is my ideathat in playing the game each space willrepresent a base ofthe runner,thus making the game more realistic. ,n n Y Throughout the play, if'Vthe lemon color appears on either ofthe dice, Ait is a handicap Kbecause'itl causesthe player to ,lose'the dice tothe next player and:gives him no. ad-

l y vance in the movement: offhis game vpiece unless his game piecereaches the Home l stretchfwhen he mustthrow a lemon color rcc theFinishwspace `wins the race.` If the vet game piece is within one, twoor threespaces of thefHome stretch, if the player'thenV throws thepropernumber which will carry the player to the Home stretch andtheVidea of a Vfoot race may be carried out by the provision of handicapsaccording to certain throws, obstacles according to certain other throwsand the imaginary distance can be varied as well as relay races played.

The invention is, of course, not limited to therules, but is broadly tothe idea of aV field having the representation of `a race track thereoncontaining both colored and number spaces with game counters ory dicehaving colored and numbered spaces.indi. eating the movement of gamepieces on the track, and hence I do not wish to be limited f to anyparticular rules nor to the exact design of the field or to theidentical construction of the game pieces, but consider myself atliberty to make such changes and Y alterations as fairly fall within thespirit and scope of the appended claims.

When the player throws two colors, say red and blue, and the game piecesare posi# tioned on the Start base, then he moves according to thecolors. In this case, he might move a lgame piece anti-clockwise on theboard, first to the blue space and then to the red. Or if he desires toprogress more rapidly he would first move to the red space and then tothe next blue. In moving to the blue space first and then the red theplayer would move only ten divisions or spaces while if he moves to thered first and then to the blue he would progress fifteen divisions. 'Ifthe players game pieces are located on the Start base and he throws twonumbers, say 2 and 4,then he moves the game pieces six divisionscounterclockwise.

In summarizing it will be seen that the circular track is provided witha seriesof groups of blank divisions between which the colored divisionsare alternately Larranged so that when the` player -throws a red andranumber he may decide whether he shall first advance Vhis playeraccording to the number or if he shall firstV advance the playeraccording to thevcolor. In this manner the game is rendered extremelyinteresting to the players and requires the exercise of ones mentalfaculties and concentration'. I elaim:` Y f ,1. A game apparatuscomprising a field having a Vcircular track provided With a plurality ofradial lines defining divisions, groups of which are blank and thedivisions between thegroups of blank divisions being alternately coloredred and blue, game pieces movable on said track, and counters khaving.

numbered faces to indicate the number of divlsions for a playing pieceto move and having red and blue faces to indicate movement of a playingpiece to a correspondingly colored division on the track.

2. A game apparatus comprising a field having a circular track providedWith a plurality of radial lines dening divisions, groups of Which areblank and the divisions between the groups of blank divisions beingalternately colored red and blue, game pieces movable on said track,counters having numbered faces to indicate the number of divisions for aplaying piece to move and having red and blue faces to indicate movementof a playing piece to a correspondingly colored division on the track,said field having relatively Wide lemon colored spaces intersecting thetrack and approaching the center of the field, the inner portions of thelemon colored spaces bearing the caption Finish and the outer ortions ofsaid radial spaces having divisions under the caption Home stretch.

JAMES H. DEEN.

